Apparatus for reclaiming oil



v J. R. MILLER. APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1919.

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APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 19:9.

1,359,614. Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT. orrica.

JAMES :aoYs MILLER, or PI TS RGH, PENNSYLVANIA. i

APPARATUS FOR REOLAIMING- OIL.

Application filed January 15, 1919. Serial No. 271,242.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R, MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, and'State of Pennsylvania, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Reclaiming Oil, of which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for reclaiming oil, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and ar-- rangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by means of which lubricating oil, such as the oil drained from the crank cases of internal combustion engines, may be reclaimed and made fit for use.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for coagulating the dirt, for driving off the volatile hydro-carbons with which the oil is contaminated, and.

for preventing the formation of emulsions during theprocess without, however causing any substantial change in the composition of the reclaimed oil, thereby producing a product which is to all intents and purposes, the equivalent of new oil.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatusby means of which the oil .to be reclaimed is brought into intimate contact with a heating medium for driving off the volatile portions, such-as gasolene,

which has worked its way down into-the crank case, said apparatus having means for drawing off thereclaime d oil at various levels, so as to obviate the danger of drawing oil? with the reclaimed oil any sludge or dirt.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved means for agitating and simultaneously heatin tliebil, these means consisting of a steam et which tends to circulate the oil, and at thesame time causes the spraying of the latter upon a splash plate, so as to insure the treatment of all portions of the oil.

Other objects and advantages will appear v in the following specification, and the novel featuresof the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1 My invention is illustrated in the accompanying 1 drawings, forming part of this I application, in which- .9 Figure 1 1s a central, sectional v ew 'through the oil'container,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the container-and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

storage tank, an intermediate filter being shown in sect1on,-

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the heat- I ing coils,

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a plug, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an adjustable means for drawing 01f oil. In carrying out my inventioml provide a casing 1 having a steam jacket 2. The latter is provided with a steam inlet 3 which may be controlled by a thermostat 4, and which is provided with a drain pipe 5wnear the bottom-thereof. The bottom of the casing 1 is of conical shape, as shown at 6. A drain pipe 7 .is arranged to discharge from the bottom and is provided with a valve 8. The top of the casing l is open,-but it isarranged to be closed by means of a cover 9 of conical shape, having an outletipipe 10 at its top for permitting the escape of volatile matter, within the casing. Handles 11 are provided for removing the cover when desired. A steam coil 12 is disposed in the bottom as shown in the drawings, this coil being provided with an inlet pipe 13 controlled by a valve 14, and having an outlet pipe 15 pro vided with a drip valve 16.

A steam inlet pipe 17 has its inner end bent upwardly as shown at 18, being disposed in a tube or sleeve 19, this tube being closed at its bottom and open at'its top at a pointabove the normal oil level. Communicating with the tube 19 is a pipe 20, which is provided with, perforations 21. Communication between the pipe 20 and the tube 19 is controlled by means of the valve .22. A pipe 23 extends downwardly toward the bottom, and also communicates with the tube 19, and is controlled b means of the valve 24.- Near the top of t e casing 1 is a plate 25 which is supported by means of a bracket 26, or in any other suitable manner, this plate'serving as a splash plate, as 'de-' scribed later, and being spaced from the Walls of the casing to permit free access of the volatile portion of the-matter. within the casing from the body of the casingto the top thereof. An operating rod 27 extendsupwardly through the splash plate/and is used to manipulate the valve 22. A similarv rod 28 affords a means for manipulating the .valve 24; 1

v The cone shaped bottom 6 i's-provided with a pocket 29 through which a drain pipe 30 extends. In Fig. 5 I have'shown a detailed being removable for this purpose.

From the foregoing description of the .various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The '15 dirty oil .is conveyed into the casing or re:

ceiver' 1 by any suitable means, the top 9 Steam is turned into the steam jacket 2, this jacket being provided with a steam gage 38. Steam is also admitted into a closed steam coil 12 in the bottom of the'reclaimer. The oil in the casing or receptacle is allowed to heat up to a temperature between 210 Fahrenheit and 220 Fahrenheit. When the oil has reached the desired temperature, steam *rsiSfidIIllllhBd through the pipe 17 to the steam .jjet,' and at this point the valve-22 is manipulated so as to cause oil to flow through the perforations 21 at various levels into the pipe 20 and thence into the jet pipe19, be-

ing drawn throu h these pipes by the action of the. steam. '1

jet is allowed to operate from one to two hours, or until the oil in the container has the steam to the steam jacket 2 and the closed coil 12.. When the temperature of the oil has fallen below 180 Fahrenheit, a

soap solution is added to the oil in the container. Any suitable animal or vegetable soap may be used. I prefer to make this so- 7 lution dissolving the soap in hot water in the proportions of one pound of soap for four gallons of hot Water. 'From one to five pounds of the soap may be used for each one hundred gallons of oil to be reclaimed, the exact number of pounds of soap per one hundred gallons ofiyoil depending upon the amount of foreigmmatt'er in the dirty or used oil. After the soap solution has been added the valves 17' and 24 are now opened, and the steam jet causes a circulationof the oil and soap solution. The actionof the steam i is to project the liquid up against the splash plate 25, .In the first use of the steam jet,

A handle 37 provided for.

he pipe 23 at this time is closed by means of the valve 2 1. This steam nether against the splash plate, it tends to break up or spread out into fine spray, thus permitting the steam to have access to all portions thereof, so'that the volatile matter is quickly vaporized. TV hen the soap solution is added, the same effect is obtained, that is to say it brings the solution into contact with all the portions of the oil through the agita tion of the latter, and more especially because of the projection of the soap solution and-oil against the splash plate. The soap solution tends to coagulate the dirt and other foreign matter in the oil, and this coagulated dirt gravitates toward the bottom. When the coagulation of the dirt is complete, the valves 17' and .24 are closed, and steam is again admitted into the jacket 2 and the coil 12, and the temperature of the oil inthe reclaimer is raised to 210 F ahrenheit to 220 Fahrenheit, and maintained -until all the moisture present in the oil is driven off. When the oil is moisture free, the steam to the closed coil 12 is shut off, and the thermostat 1 is regulated to maintain the temperature of the oil at 160 Fahrenheit to 180 Fahrenheit until the coagulated dirt and foreign matter has settled to the bottom of the reclaimer.

For the purpose of drawing of? the reclaimed oil, I provide a' series of cocks arranged at difiierentlevels around the casing 1, these cocks discharging into a trough 40 discharging in turn by means of a pipe 41 into an oil filter 42. The latter is composed preferably of a filter cloth disposed on the interior of a wire screen, and effectually removes any foreign matterthat might have been carried overl The oil from thefilter passes into the main storage tank-.415.

In drawing oil" the oil, the cooks 39 are tested successively from the bottom upward, until one is found discharging oil with no sludge, when it, or those above it, are used to draw off the pure oil;

In order to permit the oil to be drawn off below the cooks 39 at varying height, I provide the oil draining apparatus already described. Normally the screw plug 34 fills It is then lowered and turned until the slot 3 35'engages the key 36, when the nipple 32 may be screwed into or out of. the pipe 30, thus decreasing or increasing its efiective process and apparatus as set forth above is at the bottom of the receiver.

the fact that the oil, although agitated, is kept from forming an emulsion with the water by the heat, while at the same time the heat is not sufiicient to cause the breaking up or the disintegration of the oil itself. The coagulated mass which forms in the bottom of the receiver,'may be drawn off from time to time by opening the drain pipe I claim:

1. In an apparatus for reclaiming oil, a receptacle having a steam jacket and being provided with an outlet at the top, a horizontally. disposed splash late carried by the wallsof the receptacle bove the normal level'of the oil in the receptacle, a steam injector disposed within the receptacle in the bottom thereof and having a nozzle directed toward the splash plate, a branch pipe connecting with the steam injector for entraining oil at different levels, an adjustable means within the receptacle fordrawing the oil oil to any predetermined level, said last named means comprising an outlet pipe,'a threaded sleeve forming an extension for said outlet pipe, and having an opening at its top, a threaded closure for .said openingarranged to enter said sleeve to clear the opening, and means carried by said sleeve and arranged to be engaged by said threaded. closure for operating said sleeve.

2. In an apparatus for reclaiming oil,- a receptacle, a steam injector disposed within the receptacle, meanscommunicating with the steam injector for entraining oil at dif ferent levels, additional means for entraining the contents ofthe receptacle near the bottom thereof, said additional means also communicating with said steam injector, and means for controlling either of said entraining means at will. 1

3. ln an apparatus for reclaiming oil, a

receptacle, a steam injectordisposed within the receptacle,means communicating with the'steam injector for entraining oil atdifferent levels, additional means for entraining the contents of the receptacle near the bottom thereof, said additional means also communicating with said steam injector, means for controlling either of said entraining means at will, and means for heating the receptacle.

4:. In an apparatus for reclaiming oil, a receptacle, a steam injector disposed within the receptacle, means communicating with the steam injectorfor entraining oil at different levels, additional means for entraining the contents of the receptacle near the bottom thereof, said additional means also communicating with said steam injector, and adjustable means within the receptacle for drawing off oil down to any predetermined level.

5. In an apparatus for reclaiming oil, a receptacle, a steam injector disposed within the receptacle, means communicating with the steam injector for entraining oil at different levels, additional meansv for entraining the contents of the receptacle. near the bottom thereof, said additional means also communicating with said steam injector, and adjustable means within the receptacle for drawing ofi" oil down to any predetermined level, said last named means comprising an outlet pipe, an adjustable extension for said outlet pipe, and having an opening at its top, and a closure for said opening adapted to operate the adjustable extension.

JAMES ROYS MILLER. 

